Lifebuoy light.

[rogerthebodger]

An thinking of replacing the incandescent bulbs in my lifebuoy lights with LED.

The battery voltage is only 4.5 volts 3 D cells.

Any one know of a direct LED replacement available on the internet.

PS I use my life buoy lights at my Yacht club when we do Friday night Hal-cat racing to light the turning marks.

 

[Sailingsaves]

No, but if you are good with a soldering iron I can tell you how to make one.

And if the whole device is too heavy, I can tell you how to make it lighter too.

An thinking of replacing the incandescent bulbs in my lifebuoy lights with LED.

The battery voltage is only 4.5 volts 3 D cells.

Any one know of a direct LED replacement available on the internet.

PS I use my life buoy lights at my Yacht club when we do Friday night Hal-cat racing to light the turning marks.

 

[William_H]

I certainly don't know of a replacement. However if you want to think about LEd replacement the biggest problem is that incandescent bulbs tend to radiate light in all directions. Hence on the lifebuoy that is important because you don't know what orientation you will end up with.
LED bulbs (the actual LEdiode) generally radiate in one direction through a lens. If you buy an individual bulb it will often specify the light radiation angle. Varying from +or- 30 degrees to 60 degrees. So you are going to need a lot of bulbs to give 360 degree azimuth viewing.
Now you have 4.5 volts available from 3 cells. That is fine however so many replacement bulbs are for 12v supply. So you will have to have all LEDs in parallel with a series resistor unless you can find a switch mode power supply. I will ignore that option as not practical and too complex.
I have got LED bulbs from a Christmas lights type string or you can buy then individually. The easiest to manage are the tubular with domed top type about 5mm in diameter about 7mm long with 2 wires out the bottom. You can fit them through holes in a piece of plastic piping so that they face outwards equally spaced around the circumference hence facing in all azimuth directions equally. Typical series resistor for 4 in parallel might be 50 ohms from 4.5volts. This is fine to put in a small jam jar buoy or anchor light but will probably be too big for replacing a small incandescent bulb.

Now if you are prepared to do fiddly work I have also used 5050 surface mount device (SMD) Leds. These little tackers have a wide emitting angle and aree very small. They have 3 LEDs in each package. There are 6 tiny connections on the back. They typically are wired in series for 12v with a resistor. It is not too hard to rewire in parallel. All connections on one side connected to +ve all on other side connected to -ve. However very tiny and tricky with even a tiny soldering iron.
I mounted 3 of these around a centre poit hanging on tinned copper wire.(resistor leads) You can get the outside diameter down to about 12mm or maybe less.
http://www.banggood.com/buy/5M-LED-Strip-Light.html This is a source of strip lights which may be a good source of LED but being for 12v will have to be again cut down to individual LEDs. The 5630 or 2528 types I think are just one LED so may be usable as attached to the strip.
http://www.banggood.com/Wholesale-C...arm-White-Light-Bulb-Lamp-DC-12V-p-25841.html This little guy is very cheap and a source of 5050LED and incidentally great for an anchor light or similar.
It did occur to me that if you can get Lithium ion batteries in D cell size or even smaller and use an adaptor then at 3.7 volts they will probably drive a 12v bulb resonably well.
One trick with that last bulb from Mr Banggood is that you can unsilder the top LED as not needed. This means that the whole bulb with its fixed single resistor for all LED will run more current at a lower voltage so OK on about 11v volts from Li ion rechargeables. However for true emergency light for lifebuoy you would need Lithium non rechargebale at 4v per cell.
It an be good fun to fiddle. PM me if you want to discuss but be warned it will take a lot of fiddling and possible failure. good luck olewill

 

[rotrax]

I was so incensed at the poor quality and the replacement cost of a lifebuoy light that I ripped out the **** screw in bicycle lamp bulb holder, batteries, spring and wiring and replaced it with two holders for 4 AA batteries-eight in all- to give 12 volts. I then bored out the bulb holder to take a cap fitting 21w equivilent four sided LED automotive bulb from ebay. While I was soldering up I replaced the mercury tilt switch too. Encapulated from the bulb cap down in builders sillicone.

Total cost about 14 quid delivered. Batteries from stock. Took an hour to do. The only extras were a bit of Araldite and some sillicone sealer.

Two years on it is still working, no water ingress and by comparison to the weak glow previously it is a searchlight.

No idea how long it would go for, but it is SO much brighter I am more confident of its usefullness.

Why we accept such **** I know not-if I can improve it why cant the suppliers?

 

[rogerthebodger]

No, but if you are good with a soldering iron I can tell you how to make one.

And if the whole device is too heavy, I can tell you how to make it lighter too.

Please do tell us here as it may also help others on here.

olewill

Thks lots of info

I could try with the 5mm leds as I have some high intensity left from when I was repairing my NASA Nav lights. Do you think if the 50ohm resistor also apply to the high intensity LED's

I was also thinking of using NiMh which would give a voltage of 3 x 1.2 V = 3.6v which is much closer to the volt drop across the LED its self.

rotex

Now you got me thinking as I have got lots of the strips of 12v 5050 leds that olewill refereed to but I don't think my soldering is up to taking then apart.

Any more suggestions very welcome.

 

[prv]

Why we accept such **** I know not-if I can improve it why cant the suppliers?

Errm, they have. Several quite good LED lifebuoy lights out there, we have one on Ariam and PBO did a review a few months ago. Because there are no bulbs to change and the batteries last for ages, most are sealed for life and potted so they can't leak, although a couple do have replaceable batteries.

Yes, the traditional orange dildoesque pattern where a stack of D cells slide down onto a bit of bent metal and attempt to light up a corroded torch bulb are shit - they've always been shit and I don't know why anyone would buy one. But they're not the only option.

Pete

 

[rogerthebodger]

Errm, they have. Several quite good LED lifebuoy lights out there, we have one on Ariam and PBO did a review a few months ago. Because there are no bulbs to change and the batteries last for ages, most are sealed for life and potted so they can't leak, although a couple do have replaceable batteries.
Pete

Any links to the ones you refer to. My current ones must be at least 15 years old purchased in the UK on one of my visits and still works OK but as said using more now so looking to upgrade and extend battery life due to increased usage for local hal-cat racing.

I do have water actuated LED's on my life jackets (local safety requirement) that are sealed for life (battery non replaceable) so not suitable racing cause turning .marks

 

[Sailingsaves]

Errm, they have. Several quite good LED lifebuoy lights out there, we have one on Ariam and PBO did a review a few months ago. Because there are no bulbs to change and the batteries last for ages, most are sealed for life and potted so they can't leak, although a couple do have replaceable batteries.

Yes, the traditional orange dildoesque pattern where a stack of D cells slide down onto a bit of bent metal and attempt to light up a corroded torch bulb are shit - they've always been shit and I don't know why anyone would buy one. But they're not the only option.

Pete

Quite agree.
Here are some modern ones:

https://www.google.co.uk/search?q=l...FDVLq0IaPB7gb5r4GwCQ&ved=0CAYQ_AUoAQ#imgdii=_
http://www.aspli.com/products/1903/l161-lifebuoy-light-intrinsically-safe-atex-approved

http://www.taherienterprises.com/marine-safety-products.html

http://www.marinescene.co.uk/search/

http://www.compassmarine.co.uk/PBSCProduct.asp?ItmID=9648550

Now me being a skin flint, simply altered mine.

 

[Sailingsaves]

I was so incensed at the poor quality and the replacement cost of a lifebuoy light that I ripped out the **** screw in bicycle lamp bulb holder, batteries, spring and wiring and replaced it with two holders for 4 AA batteries-eight in all- to give 12 volts. I then bored out the bulb holder to take a cap fitting 21w equivilent four sided LED automotive bulb from ebay. While I was soldering up I replaced the mercury tilt switch too. Encapulated from the bulb cap down in builders sillicone.

Total cost about 14 quid delivered. Batteries from stock. Took an hour to do. The only extras were a bit of Araldite and some sillicone sealer.

Two years on it is still working, no water ingress and by comparison to the weak glow previously it is a searchlight.

No idea how long it would go for, but it is SO much brighter I am more confident of its usefullness.

Why we accept such **** I know not-if I can improve it why cant the suppliers?

Suppliers can and have as PRV has pointed out. Buut they charge a premium for it.
You and I improved ours.
It cost me £1 for decent LEDs and then simply the price of the solder and my time. Mine is cheaper to run because I did away with the large Heavy D-cells.

 

[rotrax]

Errm, they have. Several quite good LED lifebuoy lights out there, we have one on Ariam and PBO did a review a few months ago. Because there are no bulbs to change and the batteries last for ages, most are sealed for life and potted so they can't leak, although a couple do have replaceable batteries.

Yes, the traditional orange dildoesque pattern where a stack of D cells slide down onto a bit of bent metal and attempt to light up a corroded torch bulb are shit - they've always been shit and I don't know why anyone would buy one. But they're not the only option.

Pete

Two years ago when I would have purchased a better one four chandlers in the Solent only had ones with filament bulbs.

An led replacement type would have been nice had I been able to buy one.

I am very happy with my modification, but thanks for the info.

 

[prv]

Two years ago when I would have purchased a better one four chandlers in the Solent only had ones with filament bulbs.

Two years ago when I sent my dad to Force 4 with a little list (so that I could carry on rigging the boat) he came back with one of these:

http://www.force4.co.uk/7460/Baltic-Flashing-LED-Lifebuoy-Light.html

That would have been the Force 4 at Shamrock Quay.

Pete

 

[William_H]

You probably realise but I will reiterate that the 3.6 volts of the battery might be too close to the volt drop of the LED. You need more volts in supply than LED drop so that a resistor can cotrol the current. You need to know the current rating of the high intensity LEDs but a guess of 20 ma might be OK. (possibly more but at 20ma you should get plenty of light) The difference between the battery voltage and the LED volt drop is the voltage that must be dropped by the resistor. So a 3v LED on 3.6 volts means .6 v @20ma is 30 ohms for one LED. Half that for 2 LED and about 7 ohms for 4 LED. Check the current through the resistor on the actual batteries and adjust the resistor accordingly.
I also provide buoy lights for our club night races. A piece of plastic drainage pipe drops over the spar buoy witha light on top. I confess despite a love of LEDs I still use incandescent bulbs. (club provides the batteries) The holder came from life jacket lights and have a clever lens focussing the light in a tight vertical plane but all round in azimuth. I would perhaps go for the 12v strip light around the inside of a jar if I had to replace lights. good luck olewill

Please do tell us here as it may also help others on here.

olewill

Thks lots of info

I could try with the 5mm leds as I have some high intensity left from when I was repairing my NASA Nav lights. Do you think if the 50ohm resistor also apply to the high intensity LED's

I was also thinking of using NiMh which would give a voltage of 3 x 1.2 V = 3.6v which is much closer to the volt drop across the LED its self.

rotex

Now you got me thinking as I have got lots of the strips of 12v 5050 leds that olewill refereed to but I don't think my soldering is up to taking then apart.

Any more suggestions very welcome.

 

[rogerthebodger]

Thks olewill now into the workshop.

 

[Spirit of Glenans]

Got

I was so incensed at the poor quality and the replacement cost of a lifebuoy light that I ripped out the **** screw in bicycle lamp bulb holder, batteries, spring and wiring and replaced it with two holders for 4 AA batteries-eight in all- to give 12 volts. I then bored out the bulb holder to take a cap fitting 21w equivilent four sided LED automotive bulb from ebay. While I was soldering up I replaced the mercury tilt switch too. Encapulated from the bulb cap down in builders sillicone.

Total cost about 14 quid delivered. Batteries from stock. Took an hour to do. The only extras were a bit of Araldite and some sillicone sealer.
Got a link for that bulb?

Two years on it is still working, no water ingress and by comparison to the weak glow previously it is a searchlight.

No idea how long it would go for, but it is SO much brighter I am more confident of its usefullness.

Why we accept such **** I know not-if I can improve it why cant the suppliers?

 

[rotrax]

Got

I think you were asking for a link to that bulb.

No link, but it was a 21w equivilant four sided automotive bulb from Ebay-about 4 quid IIRC. There were several-used as rear foglights or daytime running lights on some cars. I soldered the wires to the bulb rather than use a holder.

It WAS two winters ago that I did it..................